First Deck Workshop
Build Your First Deck
Grokk has cleared a corner of the table. Pick who will lead your deck, learn the few rules that make it legal, then build it yourself or let Grokk forge a first draft. Your first deck does not need to be perfect. It needs to get you playing.
Step 1
Choose a starting hero
34 heroes have details read directly from their printed cards. Your hero decides which class and faction cards fit the deck.
Selectable heroes: 34 (16 from Heroes of Azeroth, 18 from Through the Dark Portal), each read off our own scan. The scan project checklist has 382 rows labeled Hero across its 22 main-set tabs. That counts checklist entries, not a verified number of distinct playable heroes, and expansions or special products may add more. Heroes we have not read yet are not offered.
34 of 34 heroes shown
Choose a hero above to see their verified details and unlock the build choices in step 3.
Step 2
Understand what makes a deck legal
These are the Constructed rules the deck builder checks, with their numbers in the final 2013 Comprehensive Rules v7.4.
- 100.1
Exactly one starting hero. It sits outside your deck and is not counted in it.
- 100.1
A Constructed main deck needs at least 60 cards. There is no maximum.
- 100.1, 301.4
No hero cards inside the deck, not even a copy of your own hero. Only verified Master Heroes are allowed.
- 100.3
A side deck is optional. If you bring one to Constructed play, it must be exactly 10 cards.
- 100.4
No more than 4 copies of any card name across main and side together, unless a printing is verified as Unlimited.
- 100.2a–100.2e
Class and faction icons, talents, reputations, trait requirements and hero-specific deckbuilding text can all limit which cards fit your hero.
When a card detail has not been read yet, the builder says Needs Review rather than guessing that it is legal.
What the cards do
Optional community guidance, not a rule: a friendly first deck usually mixes each kind of card so you always have something useful to do.
Allies
The companions who fight at your side and trade blows with the other player's forces.
Abilities
Spells, tricks and techniques your hero uses, some for a single moment, some lasting.
Equipment
Weapons, armor and items your hero wears or wields to change how they fight.
Quests and resources
Cards placed face down pay for everything else. Quests are commonly played this way and can reward you later.
Step 3
Decide how you want to build
Choose a hero in step 1 first, or open the builder and choose one there.
Build it myself
Search the card vault, add cards one by one and watch the rule checks update.
Open the deck builderAsk Grokk to build it
Grokk's forge drafts a deck from verified facts and shows what still needs review. You can edit everything afterwards.
Open the forge from the builderStep 4
Check the deck before playing
Legal
Every rule the site can check passed, and every card involved has verified facts.
Needs Review
Nothing is known to be wrong, but some card details are not read yet. Check those cards against the printed card and the rules.
Invalid
A verified fact breaks a rule, such as too few cards or too many copies. The builder tells you which rule and which cards.
The scan archive and card details are still growing, so many decks will show Needs Review for now. The printed cards and the Comprehensive Rules always win.